Don’t stop calling your Congresscritter but…

On the other side is the reality that any of these proposals must, in the normal course of things, pass Congress. A few quick facts about that body. 1) More than half of its members have an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. 2) The few members today calling for gun control are the same few who have always called for gun control. 3) The House is run by Republicans.

Despite the press’s exuberant efforts to cast congressional gun supporters as having changed their minds, there has been no actual movement. Senate Democrat Joe Manchin caused a media sensation when he declared, immediately after Sandy Hook, that nobody needed “30 rounds in a clip.” Less reported was that it took the Democrat about the time necessary for your average West Virginian to drive to a ballot box to clarify that statement and to add that he’s “so proud of the NRA.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, even with the press’s best efforts to parse his remarks, has committed himself to nothing more than a “thoughtful debate.”

And it doesn’t hurt that the NRA has added about 100,000 new members since this latest round of Kabuki Theater started. That’s 100,000 more gun owners, who vote, by the way, announcing that they won’t be held responsible for the misdeeds of others. 100,000 more constituents who will be keeping an even closer eye on what Congress decides to do in the coming weeks.